Messing with Daddy

There are an array of predictible baby sounds one can expect to hear in the first 12-months. Among the early ones is usually "DaDa" and may people take it for a real word even before it is. When Logan was 6-months old he said "Uck!" as he pointed to the rubber duck he wanted in the bathtub. He only said the 'uck' sound when he wanted that thing and so we dutifully recordered it as his first word. Around the same time he started making the sound "Dada." Daddy, happily declared this his second word. This despite the fact that little 6-month old Logan called everything from his father to the dog Dada. EVERYTHING. In short order, he got things sorted out and Dada was indeed Daddy. And at that time, I made note of it somewhere or other - ignoring Dad's instance that this momenumental moment of his own life took place a month earlier.

Little 4 month old Megan makes a lot of sounds. She loves making sounds. I think her first real hobby is babbling. I can see the future of my phonebill and its not pretty folks. This girl is a talker. Among her many sounds is the repeated humming of the letter "M". That's it. No vowels attached to it. Nothing but "Mmmmmmmm!" Its not one she uses often either. She tends only to start humming the letter "M" when she's put down somewhere she doesn't want to be but she's not quite sure its worth throwing an all out baby tantrum over it. She'll also use it when I hand her over to Dad for some reason or another and walk way from her. She'll stare at me, those eyes of her getting as big and round as she make them and she cries out "MMMMMMMMM!!!!!" Its her little way of peaceful protesting - no crocodile tears and screaming wails like she is capable of producing, just a sound that lets you know she's not happy.

But hey, its fun to toy with Dads sometimes, so I've pointed out to him that she only makes this noise those specific times as if she's trying to say "Mommy." Yup, I know, I'm fully capable of being a funny gal toying with his head.

"See!" I say, "Her first word is not going to be Dada! It's going to be Mama. She's already working on it. She's calling me Mmmmmm."

"That's not a word," he'll say.

"Neither was Dada when Logan used it to call the dog." I say with a sly smile.

"He said it when he looked at me." he sniffs back.

"Yes he did. And when he looked at his spoon."

"Funny."

"And his diapers."

"Uh huh."

"And his toys."

"I get it."